1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel improvements in remotely controlled power switching devices and, more specifically, to universal circuitry for switching electrical power, at any voltage from 120 vac to 350 vac, to one or more of a group of loads contained in one or more lighting fixtures or other electrical devices simultaneously, by toggling a single, remotely located, manually operated wall switch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with systems that switch one or more bands in response to an interruption of the A.C. power source through a single switch. For example: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,766,353 and 4,802,073 describe electromechanical devices using latching relays to apply power to individual fluorescent lamps in a sequential manner. U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,814 uses a power controller in combination with latching relays to supply power to a number of electrical "zones" each of which is used to activate fluorescent lighting fixtures. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,794271 and 4,888,494 use alternate action switches which are mechanically attached to a solenoid to switch between two lighting loads. U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,092 uses two serially connected switches to supply power to alternate bands. One switch is connected across an inductor which works in conjunction with an electronic timer circuit to determine which load has been selected. The other switch is used to actually transfer power to the selected load. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,700,110 and 4,985,662 use latching relays that are momentarily energized by discharging capacitors through their coils to alternately switch between two lamp loads. U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,083 uses a low voltage control circuit including an integrated circuit ("D" Type Flip Flop) to energize transistors which apply an operating voltage to relays. The contacts of the relays are then used to supply A.C. power to a motor in a ceiling fan or an incandescent lamp in the same fixture, or both in a fixed sequence of operation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,197 is an "all electronic" switching circuit intended to control a ceiling fan and/or incandescent lamp by interrupting the A.C. power source for a specific time period which is different for each mode of operation desired. The circuit uses fixed time delays (resistor/capacitor circuits) to activate separate SCR's which act as a "shunt" across bridge rectifier circuits allowing A.C. power to be transferred to the intended loads. U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,632 is another electronic switching circuit configurated to operate a ceiling fan and incandescent lamp in a fixed sequence of operation. It uses two different integrated circuits (one 4584 Schmitt Trigger and one 4027 Flip Flop) to activate transistors as predrivers which trigger triacs to supply power to each load. U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,079 depicts an electronic switching circuit intended to operate fluorescent lamps upon alternate operations of a toggle switch. The circuit uses two integrated circuits (one 324 Quad Op-Amp and one 4027 Flip Flop configured as a "single-shot multivibrator"). It uses an Op-Amp as a predriver to activate a triac which supplies power to the load. U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,495 describes an electronic circuit that supplies power to four fluorescent light fixtures with two of the fixtures being activated on alternate operations of a serially connected wall switch. The circuit uses a "D" Type Flip Flop and an optical coupler as a predriver to activate a triac which supplies power to the load.
The prior art does not reveal an electronic switching circuit that energizes one or more loads upon the momentary interruption of A.C. power through a single serially connected wall switch that may be used universally on all A.C. lighting voltages including 120 vac, 220 vac, 277 vac and 347 vac without adding jumper connections or any extra switches whatsoever. Furthermore, no prior art uses a single integrated circuit counter (instead of Flip Flop's) to perform all the switching functions. Additionally no prior art uses only one integrated circuit to directly activate the triacs without the use of transistors, op-amps or optocouplers as predrivers. Also lacking in the prior art are any means of altering the sequence of operation to accommodate both 3-Lamp and 4-Lamp fluorescent fixtures without adding component parts. Additionally, the prior art does not disclose any means of extending or altering the number of loads or modifying their operational sequence, either individually or in combinations, without adding active elements like integrated circuits. And, finally, the prior art does not disclose any provisions for insuring that multiple groups of parallel connected devices will switch simultaneously without false triggering.